To build up content on your directory is it possible to copy content eg. site description and url (on related listings) onto your own directory to increase content or would this be illegal?
Don't go copying any listings make your content unique Think this through before you do anything if you have a site full of copied content what have you got well you have a 'scraped site' what use is that Zilch Make you site stand out build in differentiators make it Original It will take more time but its worth the effort
Point take. But would it be illegal in any way shape or form to List other peoples URL's with your own description?
Yes. You're infringing on another's intellectual property rights by doing so. Create your own listings, and write your own descriptions.
I can't see anything useful if doing that. Otherwise, the directory using others' content would be considered useless
Think about it this way, the owners of a web directory has taken hours of gathering sites and writting unique website titles and descriptions just so that they can get good rankings. They have also spent money doing this. There is then you that will just take about a day or less and copy the whole of their listings and add it to yours. I don't think it is fare really even if it is legal or not. Anyway, I think it is illegal as it is their own work.
Why copy you just anounce it here and in 2-3 days you got few hundreds submissions theres your fast listings
Using the url of other sites is not illegal in any way. Adding trusted sites to your directory is a great way to establish your directory as an authority site. Taking other descriptions from other sites could be determined to be a copyright infringement.
I have to agree with !Ask! that with so many clones they can't determine which is which. Even Google uses some of it and some other search engines. Nice one !Ask!.